ENGL 2795: Magic realism and literature of Franz Kafka

Abstract

This course will be an imaginative journey into what happens in fiction when the real, normal or everyday confront the unreal, dreamlike, or downright bizarre. The conjunction in the quotation of the extraordinary situation, with an ordinary memory, but of a discovery that sounds just plain odd is just one example of the mind-bending prose we will explore together. Not only that, but the novels, stories, and essays we'll read are internationally recognized as some of the greatest writers of our time: including Italo Calvino, Franz Kafka, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Toni Morrison, two of them winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature. On our journey, we'll explore memories, alternative realities, fantastic places, and magical transformations into the extraordinary. Toward the end of the class, we will consider the relationship between what is often called the “magic realism” of these writers and other types of art such as painting and film. This class fulfills a III C Intro. requirement for the English Major. It also fulfills the general requirement, Interpreting Literature and the Arts. Pre-requisite: English 1100 or 1200H. Overall Goals Course Goals • Students will read major work by several of the most celebrated authors of the last century. • Students will refine and sharpen their reading ability in relation to the assigned literature. • Students will communicate ideas through sound rational and analytic thinking. • Students will develop their writing in reaction to personalized feedback from the professor. • Students will create a sensitive, thoughtful environment where they can nurture and interact with others’ ideas and observations.